Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1887-05-12
nrnnarrr0r ro nRKnps.
A Recent scrEnen by sIae Rev, m. y.
savage ian Eseseons

A Recount scrmen by sEae Hevt m. -
savage ian Esesson.
La the course Of the sermon Of tho Rev.
M. y. Savage, on Sunday, April gath,
according 10 the Boston Herald, that
prominent Boston preacher, who has been
In Wilmington, said; Unitarians had
proclaimed that character was above
creed. If man WINS noble and lived
noble life, they had no right to ask how
he came 60 be noble and 10 act nobly. Il
was not expedient TO closely define UNI
tarianism. One man might be less noble
Ia accepting a given creed than another
was In rejecting Il. The person who
said al believe, and therefore am
saved" might be an illustration Of
all that was base, while the man who said
II cannot believe" might illustrate all that
was grandest and noblsst in the human
character. IL was premiums on dis
honesty II these breeds were allowed TO
stand, for the people would profess them
without accepting them. Unitarians,
therefore, claimed the right to go beyond
creed. As church, UnitarianH believed
q greater body Of truth than any other
church on the face of the earth, and they
believed in the highest and noblest
truths. Let them declare, therefore,
what they stood for on all occasions.
So much, then, for creed. Referring
then 10 those Unitarians who want q
more specific statement of belief than
that of being seekers after truth, love
and righteousness, he said; They had
discIained the right to authority in creed.
How then could they sustain authority In
Fellowship Surely there were not 80
many peopls who were seeking TO estab-
| lish truth, love and righteousness in the
world that they needed to feel crowded.
The Unitarians were regarded ~ q small
body, and that was thing to be proud
Of. They admitted into their society
some who scarcely knew whether they
were Christians or not. The question
was whether such persons should be adj
mitted to the Unitarian pulpit. That
was not practical question. IL Felix
| Adler wanted to occupy that pulpit, the
speaker would receive him in exchange
for Ave or six other Unitarian clergymen
| he knew.
| II Prot. Huxley wished to come there,
he would not question him as TO his creed.
How many atheists wished to occupy
Unitarian pulpits2 Tho preacher did not
know one. II the question arose, he
would say that the Unitarians were Con
gregationalists In their policy, and il 0
society wanted TO admit to its pulpit some
one who was working for love, truth and
righteousness in the world, then ht
would say .'Iiands off," The society had
the matter in its own hands. Let each
society settle the question for itself
Penple who wera 80 afraid in thiB matter
seemed TO doubt that their convictions
were really part OF the eternal trnth
If men were earnest seekers aftei
truth, then the day would newt
ably come when he could shak,
them by the hand. Mr.. Savage be
lieyed in trusting to the integrity of God
the integrity of man and the integrity o.
truth. Unitarianism started with th'
claim that it would trust to truth, t,
righteousness. They had claimed to b,
free from the first. Why, then, confin,
themselves to the marrow limits Of def
milton? Unless they had grander
deeper faith in God and in man than
creed implied, they were false 10 theii
principles. The time had, perhaps, come
when il must be decided whether the,
were TO be mere sect or grand church
In reality, they had a grand prospec; be
fore them. II was that OF becoming tn
intellectual leaders of the intellectual
leadership of the world. But il they wer
to settle down within the narrow limits o
sect and creed, he for one woul
rather be alone in the wilderness, am
wait for the coming of a better time.